THE FULL TEXT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION OF PATRIARCH KYRIL III AND POPE ...

A few days ago I blogged about the potential significance of the meeting between the Patriarch of Moscow, Kiriil, and Pope Francis, And in Thursday's News and Views from the Nefarium I also offered a few remarks suggesting that the meeting may also presage a long-term "break in process" of the Papacy with its standard relationship with the West. To be sure, the Vatican is part of Western culture and politics, and always will be. But the assumption from the oiligarchs of the west, especially the past few decades, is that the Vatican will always be firmly in its hip pocket, an assumption no doubt fueled by the strong anti-Communist pontificates of Pius XII (Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli) and  more recently, Pope John-Paul II (Karol Cardinal Woytijla). I suggested in the last News and Views that this is a hazardous assumption to make, especially given the near absence of any reference to the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East, who are, of course, predominantly either Roman Catholic, or from various branches of Eastern Christianity (Orthodox, Nestorian, Coptic, Armenian, and so on).

Crucial for the reader to understand is that the Nestorian, Coptic, and Armenian churches are independent both of Eastern Orthodoxy and of Rome, and hence, their voices are seldom heard unless the Vatican or a major Orthodox patriarchate speaks for them to some degree. This, in part, is what the joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill attempts to do. Here's the text:

Full text of joint declaration signed by Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill

There are, of course (and as one has come to expect from such joint Roman and Orthodox Catholic pronouncements) the usual bows to tradition, to the acknowlegement of a common liturgical heritage and doctrinal tradition during the first millenium. But I do not think that this is the real import of this declaration. As I suggested in last Thurday's News and Views, the real import of the meeting of the two leaders may be seen as an indictment of the current demise of western culture, and more importantly, of its "leadership," in addition to being a call to address the plight of Christian persecution in the Islamic world. Here are the paragraphs that seem to confirm this analysis:

8. Our gaze must firstly turn to those regions of the world where Christians are victims of persecution. In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated. Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed. It is with pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of Christians from the land in which our faith was first disseminated and in which they have lived since the time of the Apostles, together with other religious communities.

9. We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East. In raising our voice in defence of persecuted Christians, we wish to express our compassion for the suffering experienced by the faithful of other religious traditions who have also become victims of civil war, chaos and terrorist violence.

10. Thousands of victims have already been claimed in the violence in Syria and Iraq, which has left many other millions without a home or means of sustenance. We urge the international community to seek an end to the violence and terrorism and, at the same time, to contribute through dialogue to a swift return to civil peace. Large–scale humanitarian aid must be assured to the afflicted populations and to the many refugees seeking safety in neighbouring lands.

We call upon all those whose influence can be brought to bear upon the destiny of those kidnapped, including the Metropolitans of Aleppo, Paul and John Ibrahim, who were taken in April 2013, to make every effort to ensure their prompt liberation.

...

11. ...We address, in a fervent appeal, all the parts that may be involved in the conflicts to demonstrate good will and to take part in the negotiating table. At the same time, the international community must undertake every possible effort to end terrorism through common, joint and coordinated action. We call on all the countries involved in the struggle against terrorism to responsible and prudent action. We exhort all Christians and all believers of God to pray fervently to the providential Creator of the world to protect His creation from destruction and not permit a new world war. In order to ensure a solid and enduring peace, specific efforts must be undertaken to rediscover the common values uniting us, based on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

...

15. At the same time, we are concerned about the situation in many countries in which Christians are increasingly confronted by restrictions to religious freedom, to the right to witness to one’s convictions and to live in conformity with them. In particular, we observe that the transformation of some countries into secularized societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom. It is a source of concern for us that there is a current curtailment of the rights of Christians, if not their outright discrimination, when certain political forces, guided by an often very aggressive secularist ideology, seek to relegate them to the margins of public life. (Emphases added)

To my mind, paragraphs 11 and 15 constitute an indictment, largely of the West, and largely of its current leader, the United States. And it's a warning, that blank checks from either Church are no longer on the table.

This may seem an astonishing thing to say, but it should be remembered that pacificism is not a tradition of either Church, and that there is a right of self-defense that both Churches have endorsed in that "shared millenium" of a common tradition, and this is indeed, I think, how the declaration was intended to be read. Up until very recently in Orthodox history, petitions during the many litanies that fill the Orthodox ritual of the Divine Liturgy(the "equivalient" of the mass in Roman Catholicism), included petitions for protection of the Emperor/King/Tsar and "our Christ loving armies." And Rome's history includes, of course, the founding of the militant orders such as the Templars and Hospitallers, the latter of which, incidentally, "survives" as a sovereign military order, which were directly under the Papal jurisdiction.

In short, paragraph 15 is not to be understood to be about a reintroduction of some sort of "Christian theocracy" or "Catholic-Orthodox dominionism" in the West, (if I may borrow a term from Calvinism), but rather, in the context of other remarks, and particularly those of paragraph 11, an address directly to the leadership of the West, which the declaration is subtly suggesting is godless, to address the issue of Christian persecution and genocide, and address it genuinely and effectively. In this context, it is important to note also that the mention of Latin America was a deliberate reminder to the First World that a significant portion of the world might not be so ready to look askance if the issue is not addressed. It's a not-too-subtle reminder that it is not just Russia which constitutes a power bloc that could intervene with political power in the issue, but that there's another one as well.

To put this high octane speculative interpretation of the Joint Declaration country simple: the West is being told to address the issue of Christian persecution, and do so effectively, or there will be more joint declarations, and they may be of a more "practical" nature. And we can rest assured, the Vatican and Patriarchal chancery are probably well advanced in those discussions.

See you on the flip side...

(My thanks to Mr. V.T. and many others who supplied us with this text.)

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Joseph P. Farrell

Joseph P. Farrell has a doctorate in patristics from the University of Oxford, and pursues research in physics, alternative history and science, and "strange stuff". His book The Giza DeathStar, for which the Giza Community is named, was published in the spring of 2002, and was his first venture into "alternative history and science".

15 Comments

  1. zeus33 on February 26, 2016 at 10:12 am

    Most people here confuse clergy with the church. The clergy might be corrupt, but the attack is on the church via the clergy. As to why the Western elites are indiferrent to the murders of christians in the middle east, it is because they are not protestants or catholics. Lastly i think that this joint declaration means a de facto sidestepping of the patriarch of Constantinoupolis, who is above of Moscow and directly responsible for the areas concerned.



  2. Scooter-Fishwick on February 23, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Christian (or other)religious persecution should be addressed but frankly the Pope has a very limited understanding of the constitutional concept of seperation of church and state. Peoples Freedom of Religion is threatened in the West because the US government is (presumably) taking steps to honor the Constitution and remove any religion from “the State”??? Seriously? Pope Francis must be high on some Big Pharma concoction.



    • Bear Claw on February 25, 2016 at 7:49 pm

      Of course, I want to be clear that there is a place for the feminine-hippy faction of the Church (like Richard Rohr or Thomas Merton). It’s just not the season right now to emphasize this. God is Love, but God is also Order. The Old Testament emphasizes Order (or Law) while the New Testament emphasizes Love. A hostile population has invaded Europe that is overtly hostile to Christian and European values. Another small group runs Europe which is covertly hostile to Christian and European values. If for everything there is a season, the season now is one for bringing back Order and decency to Europe. May Saint Benedict (the Patron Saint of Europe) intercede on behalf of European Children that the Church hears their cries for proper Order to return to Europe.



      • Bear Claw on February 25, 2016 at 7:51 pm

        Sorry, meant to put this under my February 22, 2016 at 9:10 pm comment



  3. Bear Claw on February 22, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    The migrant crisis in Europe is really a “God-given” opportunity for the Catholic Church to reestablish some of its influence in Western Europe. It needs to re-flag one of the old military orders (to include a lay-order open to married men and other non-consecrated types) to act as a militia in the streets of Europe. It needs to have a major role in bringing order back to the streets and fighting cultural-marxist degeneracy. It needs to remove the migrants then play a leading role in the revolution against the Euro-elites. It should also play a role against ISIS and radical Islam (if the Russians don’t destroy it first).

    If the Catholic Church continues in its feminine-hippy Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr “we are the world” path THERE WILL BE NO CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WESTERN EUROPE IN 100 years (just a tourist attraction)! This is a golden opportunity. Revolutionary change is coming to Europe; the question is what form it will take? If the Church does nothing, or worse takes the side of the globalist elites, then the form will be “3rd Power” techno-fascism.



    • Bear Claw on February 25, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      Of course, I want to be clear that there is a place for the feminine-hippy faction of the Church (like Richard Rohr or Thomas Merton). It’s just not the season right now to emphasize this. God is Love, but God is also Order. The Old Testament emphasizes Order (or Law) while the New Testament emphasizes Love. A hostile population has invaded Europe that is overtly hostile to Christian and European values. Another small group runs Europe which is covertly hostile to Christian and European values. If for everything there is a season, the season now is one for bringing back Order and decency to Europe. May Saint Benedict (the Patron Saint of Europe) intercede on behalf of European Children that the Church hears their cries for proper Order to return to Europe.



  4. Levantine on February 22, 2016 at 1:07 pm

    From the joint statement, Feb 12: “[15.] ….. In particular, we observe that the transformation of some countries into secularized societies, estranged from all reference to God and to His truth, constitutes a grave threat to religious freedom. ….”

    Pope Francis, Feb 18: “Anyone, whoever he is, who only wants to build walls and not bridges is not a Christian”

    Well, without walls you get multicultural, globalised, economy-driven populations – in any country where you apply that stance. And if you give priority to people’s material needs over cultures and customs time and again, your protest about secularism is like trying to stop a flood with your hands after you constantly advocated opening of the dams.

    And the above ambivalence stands in tension to the speculative conclusion that

    ‘[T]he West is being told to address the issue of Christian persecution, and do so effectively, or there will be more joint declarations, and they may be of a more “practical” nature.’



  5. Milton Zentmyer on February 21, 2016 at 12:12 pm

    Well, the Eastern Orthodox is not as damaged as the Vatican in terms of apostasy and child molestation. It’s a hope that Christiandom will unite to save a culture and history. Everyone here has the right to ponder, discuss and disagree with the tenants of the Church, Catholic, Protestant or whatever, based on a culture has history that has matured enough to allow thought without violence toward the individual.

    We take these long fought for freedoms within the Church and society for granted, now with Islam in our collective grill, people are going to quit sniveling about the “wrongs” of Christianity and get the big picture quickly. I hope so, because tolerance will be going out the window.

    This unification of the Christian churches will also stand against the disgusting social engineering memes that are afoot in the West that are destroying the culture.

    Putin standing against the Pussy Riots in Russia is a beautiful example. Has anyone been following the level of degradation that these CIA operatives have been pushing in Russia? I have. I have an acquaintance who is from Kosovo, now living in the US with her children. She sent me a video of a couple “rioters”, who were part of the Gene Sharp operation in Russia. I apologize as to what I’m going to tell you. But that is part of the program meme, it is to shock the medium as Dr. Farrell would say.

    Here it goes, a man and a women enter a small grocery in Russia, they move to the fresh poultry container. The woman, who is glassy eyed very probably under some mind control, lays down on the floor, takes her pants down and proceeds to work a small chicken up her vagina. The man is there filming. The end shot is a picture of the wings hanging out her vagina near her labia. Yes, this is the “Pussy Rioters” this is the degradation of the human soul and consciousness that is the meme directed toward us, the West. Moving the “Overton Window” mind control. What will people put up with? How much will it take? How far can we go?

    In New York the Russian Pussy rioters are having a conference. I’m sure they are describing how bad Putin is, how their self expression is being curtailed by Putin. You know what Putin did to these “Rioters”? He put them in jail. Not a cutesy facility with internet, but hard labor…busting rocks as they say.

    I like Putin, I like the Eastern Orthodox Church, I like my Western Christian heritage that has given us music, science, art of the highest order. God’s speed is my mantra. Whether I believe all of the tenants of the faith or not is not important here. We are under attack.



  6. Roger on February 20, 2016 at 11:38 pm

    Better late than never. Way past time for religious leaders to start over turning the tables on this new world evil. To not speak and act against their crimes proves what shams they have become. I doubt Jesus will recognize any of them as followers of his.



  7. Robert Barricklow on February 20, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    The Churches are concerned about their own survival as time marches on. They have the resources to insure it, including intelligence strengths that may be closely described as: out-of-this-world. Not doubt their association with ancient technologies/artifacts and histories/prophecies are probably beyond/belief.
    So their moves; like that of two living popes, and this joint declaration – are not without some foreknowledge.
    What is being said, has a lot to do with an unseen hand at play.



    • goshawks on February 20, 2016 at 11:50 pm

      In line with what you are saying, there were stories on the internet that one out-of-this-world faction had gotten tired of endless waiting and put a (date) line in the sand. Disclose by X, or we will disclose for you. (Unverifiable, of course.)

      One could find the Vatican and Patriarchal meeting as interesting in that context…

      (It would be interesting to know just how much salted-away ET stuff they have…)



      • Scooter-Fishwick on February 23, 2016 at 12:40 pm

        The Vatican? Hidden ET info? Well, the Vatican library is one of the world’s largest and certainly the most heavily guarded library on earth . . . . and they keep the contents of that library secret.. . .I’m going to say most likely yes to ET and who knows what else.



  8. marcos toledo on February 20, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    The problem is none of the Yahweh religions have ask the question. Why has the creator broke up his message in three parts to the World and has allowed them to compartmentalize themselves from each other. And sow chaos among his believers and division and strife throughout the World. And has also allow forces of evil to reek havoc and death among his creations in it name and disparage other peoples beliefs and holy places by desacralizing or stealing them.



  9. Aridzonan_13 on February 20, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    Please note, there are and always have been some amazing priests and nuns that have been and continue to be excellent examples of Christ. However, these heroic members of the clergy are always relegated to being field troops and do not make Church policy.

    IMHO, the Roman Catholic(Universal)Church has seen a severe loss of patronage due to it’s own severely dirty laundry. Those sordid details have been well documented. My other dig is that after 500 yrs. of being the State Religion of Mx, Central and South America, the standard of living and education level of most of the people there are still way below Western standards.

    So, it’s bad habits are compounded by the fact that it’s Latino parishioners are still for the most part poor and ignorant. I would have to say that is and always has been the plan. AND that a one way trip to peon-ville is in the cards for all of NA and Europe. Hence, Daddy Bush’s NWO realization of the instantiation of Neo-Feudalism. My guess is they are working on the return of the “Divine Right of Kings” part two.

    So, though there may be dissension and even internal warfare. The PTB’s project plan appears to be still on track.



  10. WalkingDead on February 20, 2016 at 8:29 am

    This declaration is fine as far as it goes. However, the hypocrisy, idolatry and apostasy of the church lead by the Vatican is well known. Shouldn’t they clean their own house before admonishing others to clean theirs. The church should lead by example as Christ did.
    The Roman Catholic church is not the only Christian church which needs to clean up its act as all Christian churches have strayed from the teachings of their founder in many ways. Almost all of them fail to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. For the Holy See to claim to be Gods representative on earth and allow his church to stray so far from its founder teachings is hubris of the highest order.



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